Darlene's Digest

It's been a while since I posted my "How to read Darlene Marshall novels" cheat sheet, so I thought I'd run it past y'all again.  All of my books are written so they can be read as stand-alone novels, however you may find it more enjoyable if you combine them so crossover characters are introduced first: Sea Change , then Castaway Dreams . One of the secondary characters in Sea Change is Royal Navy surgeon Alexander Murray, who's the hero of Castaway Dreams . The Bride and the Buccaneer , then Captain Sinister's Lady. The marriage minded Captain Sinister (Morgan Roberts) and his crew are introduced in The Bride and the Buccaneer. Pirate's Price , then Smuggler's Bride . Pirate's Price is set a generation before Smuggler's Bride  and the heroine of Smuggler's Bride   (Julia) is the daughter of the hero and heroine of Pirate's Price . All the books are available in paper and ebook editions at Amber Quill Press  and Amazon , ...

He poled up the creek, away from the juncture with the river. The small tributary narrowed and soon they were both ducking under lowhanging cypress and oak branches. She saw a bull gator sunning itself on the bank, lazily watching them go by and ignoring this midday incursion into its domain. When Rand could pole no further, he tied up the boat and jumped into the shallow water, lifting Julia and following the creek down along a sandy strip. “What is out here? It seems like the middle of nowhere.” “It is,” Rand said, “but that’s what makes it special.” Despite the poling he showed no strain carrying her and since her feet were bare and the ground was rough, she didn’t encourage him to put her down. Besides, she rather enjoyed it, though she’d never tell him so. He walked past the sand into a hammock of live oak sprawled out like a dowager who’d loosened her stays, and emerged on the other side to a pool fringed by sand and boulders on one side, bushes bright with yellow berries and mo...

I was cleaning my fountain pens today (I know, I should have been writing more instead) when it occurred to me that I had no idea why I was writing "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party" a gazillion times. Yes, I knew I was writing it to test the ink flow on the Sensa and the Cross, but why that sentence?  Then I remembered it was a famous line I'd first learned, as so many people did, in typing class.  That sentence was used to test one's speed while typing, and it lingers in the back of my mind to this day. Then I wondered if they still teach typing in schools?  I know penmanship seems to have gone the way of the rotary dial telephone, but I would think touch typing is still a useful skill in this keyboard age.  I know it makes my writing faster than if I were looking at my fingers or "hunting and pecking" my way through a manuscript. Incidentally, the pens all appear to be unclogged and ready for action now.  I think I...

            “Again, Papa, throw the knife again!  Hit him in the eye this time!”             Robert paused.             “As entertaining as it is to stab someone from a distance, always remember, Mattie:  If you throw your knife you no longer have a knife you can use, and it could even be used against you. You must have a back-up weapon.  What did I tell you is the first rule of knife-fights?”             “To bring a pistol, Papa.”             “That’s correct. If your opponent brings a knife, you bring pistols, with your own knife as back-up.”             “Yes, Papa.”             “Also,” he added in a pedantic f...

They went up on deck together, David carrying his prayer book. The men were assembled wearing their finest clothing. At the starboard rail a canvas length awaited them, sewn by Sails, weighted to carry its burden to the bottom of the ocean. It was on a trestle, covered with the flag of the United States that fluttered at the edges in the light breeze. The crew was silent as their captain stepped forward, and a hurricane bird soared overhead, far from land but reminding them all that someday, they would return to their homes. Some of them. -- Sea Change   Today is Flag Day in the United States , the day we mark the adoption of our nation's symbol of freedom.  It was immortalized during the War of 1812 200 years ago with Francis Scott Key's poem, now our national anthem.  My flag is flying, as it does on all national holidays.  Long may it wave.

We lost one of the great American writers today, Ray Bradbury .  His work has been read by every American schoolchild, and his writing spread across generations and genres, from Fahrenheit 451 to The Martian Chronicles to "The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit". I had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Bradbury at Confederation, the 1986 World Science Fiction Convention in Atlanta.  When people asked me after my years in broadcast and print news which famous person I'd enjoyed interviewing the most, I never hesitated: "Ray Bradbury. Funny, smart, gracious and charming.  Interviewing him was one of the high points of my career." Somewhere in Heaven there's a small town that looks like it was lifted straight out of the cornfields of Illinois, and that's where you'll find Ray Bradbury today.

His glance flicked over her, and he grunted dismissively. “Not much to you.” Sophia drew herself up to her full height. “I have it on good authority I am worth three opossums!” A twitch dented the corner of [the Indian's] mouth and he looked at Jack. “You pay three possums for this?” “At the time it seemed like a good idea,” Jack said, putting down his rifle and brushing off his own clothes. --The Bride and The Buccaneer (winner, FCRW Beacon Award and the subject of a three minute lecture at Harvard University on "How the barter system approximates commodity currency in a market economy.") My elderly dachshund treed a possum last night.  I knew this because around 11 p.m. there was a frantic barking from the backyard, something along the lines of, "OMG! OMG! I caught supper! Quick, mom, bring the rifle!" When I went out to investigate, the dog was at the base of a huge oak, her front paws planted firmly on it, tail wagging furiously as she barked at somet...

Marriage of Mercy by Carla Kelly My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews